The Birth of a New Cable
They supply power and data to millions upon millions of electrical products worldwide, but have you
ever wondered how the cables you use end up in the stores of your wholesaler?
Nicolas Rousselet (Nexans Marketing and Development Manager – based in Lyon / France) and Terry
Morton (Nexans Sales Manager – for the UK Building Market) of Nexans explain how the concept of its new Alsecure NX range of fire-safety cables was brought to market. This article explains the key steps that Nexans undertook in order deliver the product to the customer.
Identifying the market need for a new cable
The fire security market in UK is one of the most dynamic and regulated in the world. This market is characterised by rapid growth in the market, a very high level of performance tolerances expected by the
electrical industry and strong influence of and adherence to European Union rules and regulations. All of these are key factors that contribute to the fast moving market dynamics for electrical cabling in the UK. It is
also worth commenting that the legislative and legal requirements for fire-resistant cable in the UK is also further advanced than the rest of Europe.
Nexans has many years of experience in designing strong performance products for a diverse market including the residential, public and industrial building sectors of the market. Indeed, we display some of the highest levels of innovation within this sector and globally we bring a new product to the market each week. Due to this level of expertise, we have been able to evaluate, research, design, manufacture and bring to the market a new family of full range fire resistant cable products including the NX100, NX 200, NX200 Plus and NX400.
Defining the essential characteristics of the new cable
So, what are the main characteristics of the Alsecure range? The Alsecure range provides a higher level of fire protection than standard cables, specifically the reaction to fire in terms of low combustibility and low ignitability so as to minimize the growth and propagation of fire. The new cable also features Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) and the cable’s resistance to fire assures that safety systems such as fire detection, emergency lighting, voice alarm, public address, smoke evacuation keeps operating during evacuation and subsequent fire fighting period.
The design of the new cable
A key product offering from the cable family, the NX200 cable is designed in accordance with the BS 5839-2
standards. Our NX200 cable, featuring a patented material, has been specially developed in Nexans’ research centre in Lyon to meet the enhanced requirements that includes the PH120 class. It also adheres to the requirements for integrated water spray.
Prototyping and testing
All of the Alsecure cable variants were put through their paces at the Nexans research laboratory in Lyon. This laboratory is equipped to conduct testing and analysis with prototype cables as well as fire analysis. Nexans are one of the foremost experts in fire technology and this facility is fully equipped to conduct software and laboratory testing, so that cables meet fire safety standards across the world. These tests ensured that Nexans designed the best possible product specification for the Alsecure NX200 and NX200 plus. The core technical competency of our engineers in fire technology enabled Nexans to reach the necessary performance criteria within a matter of months.
The tragic and high profile fires such as Kings Cross and the Mont Blanc tunnel have highlighted to the
world’s media the devastating effect of fire and smoke within a confined area. Alsecure’s design will keep
cable flames, noxious gases and fumes to a minimum during fire evacuation process in a building. Hence, cable-testing using the latest fire technologies is always deemed to be of paramount importance to Nexans.
Upon completion of testing and prototype analysis the Alsecure product family quickly achieved full BASEC and LPCB approvals, thus confirming that the cable designs meet and exceed the required safety
standards.
Gearing up for volume production
Produced at the Nexans manufacturing facility near the Alps in Lyon – France, the Nexans Alsecure family of cables is manufactured in a modern plant incorporating the latest production techniques. Currently, the Lyon factory makes over 15,000 tons of cable each year and incorporates 55 production lines at the site and covering 50,000 sq metres. The site is also one of the largest employers in the area employing 250 people and makes about 1,500 different types of cable on site.
As a major producer of fire resistant cables, the Nexans factory in Lyon is equipped with the most modern manufacturing facilities to produce Alsecure cable in high volumes. The first production batches were checked to confirm that the cable met the fire performance standards and product specifications, thus guaranteeing the highest levels of quality and performance of Alsecure cables. Since the Alsecure range entered full-scale production, more than 10,000 km of cable has been manufactured.
Roll out to the market
Prior to launching Alsecure, new product market forecasting and surveys were rolled out to identify the customer demand for new cabling. In this instance, safety standards and regulatory changes also showed that it was only a matter of time before the performance of cabling to fire reaction and resistance changed; and to meet this need Alsecure was brought to the market. Local sales and marketing strategies were analysed and in-country sales forecasts agreed in advance of the Alsecure range being launched. In country stock inventory levels were also agreed and warehouse space allocated to ensure the safe storage and suitable racking of the product.
Other localised decisions were made to define the new product launch and to promote the cable to specific
customers. Naturally, there are slightly different routes to market in a given country and the strategies and
tactics used to sell Alsecure will be adopted depending on the customer base.
One of the first projects to specify new Alsecure cabling was Barcelona Airport to protect buildings and lift shafts throughout the air terminal. Alsecure products have also been installed within the U.K. in hospitals and other key public buildings where fire safety is of paramount importance.
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